Vapor electric apparatus.



J. T. H. DEMPSTER;

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS.

urmcunm rum) 3.4, 1904.

1,091,564.- Patented Mar.31,1914.

' Witnesses Inventor g John T. H.Qempstsr:,

41 0 7 i vqw all whom t't may concern:

.a citizenof the United States, residing at pocket for containing a body of mercury 3,

shaped chamber, the Walls 6 of which sep- 1 Electric Apparatus, of which the following vis aspecification.

certain improvements relating to the startof apparatus of the types mentioned. The features of novelty characteristic of details of construction and the mode of opthis electrode.

are a number of pockets 10, 11 and 12 contoxin T. H, DEMPSTER, 0F SCI-IENECTADY, NEW YORK, ASSIGN on T0 GENERAL ELECTRIC coMPAn' Av CORPORATION on NEW YORK.

VAPOR ELECTRIC APPARATUS. I

i Specification of Letters Patent.

PatentedMar. 31, 1914.

'Application' filed April 4 1904. Serial No. 201,487.

Be itknown that 1, JOHN. T. H. DE-MPSTER,

Schenectady, in the county of Schenectady and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Vapor My present invention relates toimprovements in the construction and operation of vapor electric apparatus, such, for example, as vapor-lamps, rectifiers or-the like.

"More especiallymy invention comprises my invention Ihave pointed out with par-' ticularit in the appended claims. The invention itself, however, both as concerns the eration. will be better understood by refer-- ence-to the following description taken inconnection with the accompanying draw-- ings, in which- Figure 1 illustrates one embodiment of my invention and Fig. 2 a modification.

Fig. 1 illustrates the application of my in-. vention to a mercury vapor lamp. The lamp shown'is one which operates normally with the tube or exhausted envelop in an inclined position. The envelop isindicated at l and may beof glass or other suitable material. At the top the envelop is enlarged to form a condensing chamber 2, the bottom portion of which constitutes a constituting one of the main electrodes of the lamp. The leading-in conductor 4 provides for makin electrical connection with t the bottom of the tube 1 a body of mercury 5 constitutes the other main electrode of the lamp. This body of mercury is contained within a small. cuparate the mercury from the outer ,annular body of mercury 7 constituting a starting electrode. The walls 6 which se arate the two bodies of mercury may be ormed of glass, fused quartz or any other suitable insulating material. To each of these bodies of mercur 5 and 7 current may be conveyed by lea ing-in conductors 8 and 9 respectively. 'Placed at intervals, more or less regular, along the under S1d'e'0f the tube 1 taining bodies of mercury 13, 14 and 15, which constitute auxiliary electrodes to assist 1n the starting of the main arcin the lamp: Electrical connection with 'these starting electrodes is efiected in the usual manner by means of suitable leading-in conductors 16', 17 and 18. All-of the electrodes 7 13, l4, l2 and 3 are electrically connected together and to the supply conductor 19' through the medium of interposed resistances asat 20, 21, 22 and 23.

A variety of means may be employed to produce the initial startingarc in the lamp. Thus, for example, the ,tube may be shaken or oscillated so as to cause a" momentary flow of mercury over the barrier or walls 6 separating the electrodes 7 and 8. The

pletes circuit from; the supply lead through the series of resistances 20 th 23 inclusive to the other supply lead24. jAs soon'as. this engagement between the-two mercury bodies is broken, as the mercury again' assumes a position of equilibrium, an arc is produced. If the polarities be such that the electrode 5 is of negative polarity the electrode becomes a cathode and the in itial arc then extends up thetube to the electrode 13 and then successively from the electrodes 1 1 and 12 to the main anode 3.

This movement of the are up the tube is caused by the presence of the resistances 20 to 23 inclusive which offer to the current from the main 19 a higher resistance path than is afforded by the arc path in the tube from the various positive electrodes to the ne tive.

nstead of shaking the tube to form the initial arc I may make use of an inductive discharge produced, for example, by means of the inductance coil 25. At starting, the switch 26 is closed and is then suddenly opened. The inductive kick thus produced causes a high-potential spark to jump between the two electrodes 7 and 5 which spark is then followed by a current from the main source and thisin turn bya progression of the are up the tube to themain electrode 3. Another means for starting the arc in a tube provided with multiple starting electrodes is shown in Fig. 2. The exhausted envelop of this lamp is indicated at 27 and is mounted in some convenient way so that it may be tilted or its inclination varied. For this purpose one end may be suspended by a.

dfQS-iiiid the etbei end by'a'ebrdQQ bass jug-011 ei1\'enie11ce foi ei a' pulley 30. "At

lopposiieen'ds of the t bes are formed pockets containing .reepctiwtely bodies 'of me'rcury31 fandi 32-Z: '0ns titutingthe mainre'lectr'odes Of 1 the-la i p. Atir tervals i-n' the"1engtli:..o f the:-

the .m demfside pjf-tlietub e as in' icated zit-33;, 34, 35 and36. '-These- 'poekets;.centiiinbodies' 'ef nei'eni y- 37 38, 39 -and '.140. cemiedtedes.

"before means of etl'itable 'lehdiiig-injleoil duetin s to f a resistance 'circliit and to 1 the upper, electrode. ;as-i11di e:ite 1: The resistantes 'separatmg the eomiectio'ns between the; eleet qdesr 'are 'col i ieeted at. 41 142, 43 and i I i iiing'. (we; tli efpl llley 30 may beslzic'kecl seits @to lesverthe :eiitlpf lamp support-ed"- th'er'eby Rand" thus--'em'1se' nlercury' -fr0n' the 1 e1ect1 edef'3l' t6 flow to the adj aeent starting electi'ede- 37' find" thenceen" down lth'e tube 'f e iiiene starting electi'q'deto another'. Or-. di i aiily it is s-ufliie t to c ause a bridging s't eein of mercury to'flqwfremthe electrode 31t -thee1ect1fedb and then brealgIw-laerfrom one startingeketrode t'o. ,'anot1 1e1- u til it reacheeelectrode 32. If the are does' notstart up' immediately throughout the length.

,ef the tube theflo'w ofnel euryimay be con ltinued from" the electrode 37 en dowil" the. tube until the lenip is in norilial operatiq'n.

v 'lfheeQi'd-QQ-may' theii be pulled to' the po- --siti'ei1 i11ust1"a ted iri the drawings.

One. adv "tage :bfthe construction gnu-5% 7 'trat'e&' i-s thmt-bfitverY littlemercury is required te pi'odu'ce' the starting-ai'e. A T1 1is dvantage-1301": 'consldeltable 'valuem the case.

of'leng tubes where at neat deal of mer- "-curywbuld be required i e'r'attempted tepr'oduce an unbrqken 'treem from one end "ofth'e .tubetogthe'otheitl I ItwillIbeevident toone skilledin' the art 'that numerous. modifications may be- 'm'ade in the structural rfiodi-fiatioii of" my invention, 'fOI wliieh'. reason .-I 410 not Wishto be.

sc1 ibed; e

' 'Whetl claim as 1'1ew'a-nd desire to' secure by-Lettere Patent of the United States, is,

" 1 jThe-combi'natien of an, exhausted env'elop, fiuid' electrodes located respectiwely in eppbsite ends of the envelop, anda plurali'ty of, coeperating fluid starting eleetrpdes' offhe same polarity.

2. The combination of an envelop, mail;

electrodes,therefei', intermediate electrodes all of the same polarity electrically connect;- ed with en'c111other andineans fei jca'usu-igm flew of-mercury fr m. one main electrodeto- One oxymore lnte me'chate electrodes. 3.7 The com'b natlon, of an; e'xhgl'uete'd en- 7 'velop, normally 111ehned,'n 1a1n electrodestfor 52 id "envelop, "and iiitei'mediate electrodes of Thum ORIORIJ. 

